Out of Reach
by R. Scott
Summary: She giggled again, lifting herself up onto her elbows so she could look down at him. Her head thumped slightly but then everything came into focus. And all she could see was him, grinning lazily. Jack and Elizabeth lost inside their own heads.


**Wrote this a long time ago, in a galaxy far away (a.k.a- the garden). Possibly doing a sequel, let me know if you think I should.** ** PotC is not really my neck of the woods, but here's what I came up with- set during Black Pearl when Jack and Elizabeth are stranded on the island, reviews are always wonderful. :o) Enjoy x**

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She was drunk. Quite outstandingly drunk, more so than he'd ever thought possible. In fact, he'd never thought it was possible for her to get drunk at all. But it turned out that she most certainly could not handle her drink. He was sitting up leaning on his arms, she was on her back staring intently at the stars and they reflected in her enormous eyes. Her mouth kept twitching into a smile and he wondered what on earth she could possibly be happy about. He figured it was the drink. It was certainly an improvement, he thought.

"What are you staring at?" she giggled, turning to face him.

He realised that he had in fact been staring at her and smirked, turning his head to gaze up at the stars which had captivated her so. He shifted so that he was on his back, getting a better view of the sky.

"I could ask you the same thing love." He said casually, moving his arms so that they rested behind his head. She smiled.

"It's such a beautiful night…" she said.

"Hmmm, yes it's lovely." He said lazily, his eyes closed.

He heard her let out a long, sad sigh, and the two of them remained quiet for a moment.

She shifted beside him, edging closer.

"I wonder if Will can see it." She said.

"I doubt it."

She laughed slightly, not that she found his reply funny. She just found his answer predictable.

"You could at least try to cheer me up." She said. Jack did laugh at this.

"Well if you don't think three bottles of rum and a sandy beach is paradise then I guess there's summink wrong with you." He smirked. She remained silent.

He found the situation he was in rather odd to say the least. He opened an eye to look at her. She wasn't smiling anymore. Just staring at the sky.

"Oi." He said, his voice low and laced with sleep, though he wasn't particularly tired. "Don't you go bloody crying on me missy." He saw her smirk slightly and found himself wrapping his arm round her, his hand lost amongst her blond curls. He absently twirled one around his finger. A small sigh escaped her mouth and she rested her head on his chest. She sniffed.

"He's dead isn't he." She said bluntly.

"Probably."

"D'you think he suffered?"

"Probably."

She looked up at him, unsure if he'd listened to a word she had said. He had his eyes closed again, like he was struggling to keep them open. But his hand was still in her hair, his fingers resting on her shoulder. He rubbed it slowly, rhythmically, and soon her own eyes closed.

"Jack?" she said, and she heard him grunt in response "Have you ever been in love?"

He let out a blunt, snorting laugh.

"Don't worry Lizzie you're the only girl for me." He said, his hand still rubbing her shoulder. She giggled slightly.

"I'm afraid I'm already spoken for." She said. "Really Jack…you've never loved anyone?"

His eyes opened and he moved his head to face her.

"My only love…" he sighed "Just sailed away across that horizon. Again."

Elizabeth sighed.

"The Pearl." She whispered.

Jack looked up at the night sky again.

"I know what you're thinkin love." He said "But the truth is…she's not just a ship to me. Not just a…_thing._ She's my whole world."

Elizabeth looked up to study his face. He was frowning but seemed relatively peaceful. But his eyes were heavy with sadness. She wrapped an arm around his chest, in an awkward hug.

"I'm sorry." She said.

He smiled.

"Well it aint all bad. She'll be mine soon. Mark my words…"

His words were lost to the crashing of the tide and soon the only other sound was their breathing. He pulled her a bit closer to him and held her there.

"Well Jack, I don't think I've ever heard a more honest answer from you before." She said quietly "You should get drunk more often. Open up, be free."

"Oh yes definitely," He said, grinning "I could be drunk all day long if you so desired."

She giggled again, lifting herself up onto her elbows so she could look down at him. Her head thumped slightly but then everything came into focus. And all she could see was him, grinning lazily. She stopped laughing.

"...in fact I could stride right over there and drink some more right now…" he was saying, but she couldn't really hear him.

Jack focused on the woman that was now practically on top of him. She was staring at him, her expression serious, her lips suddenly big and her eyes glistening. The moonlight framed her head making her look like some sort of…witch. He found himself smirking at her, his hand still lost amoungst her hair.

"Hmmm…Lizzie, you know that man of yours'll probably find a way out of the mess he's in." he drawled, staring at his hand and not into her eyes. He heard her scoff.

"The mess _you_ put him in you mean." She said, still some how unable to keep from smiling at him.

"Yes well, that's debatable. " he said, twirling her hair around his finger again. "Besides. If he loved you so much, he would've dived right in after you."

"And if you loved the Pearl so much, " she said, her face now close to his own "You would have swam after it and never given up."

He sighed, a small smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"I woulda done love…just didn't wanna leave you ere, all alone, on a mysterious island, with all that rum…"

She let out a small laugh, her nose inches away from his, her breath a ghost before him, and suddenly he had a powerful urge to kiss her…his mouth opened slightly, his eyes began fluttering.

"Well…" she whispered "It's good to know you have my best interests at heart…Captain Sparrow…"

"Oh I do…" he said, his mouth twitching "Believe me Lizzie…"

"It's Miss Swan actually." She said quietly, their noses touching. He let a small moan escape his mouth.

"Miss…Swan…" he sighed, and then suddenly he felt her lips crashing against his own, and he found all logical and rational thought leaving him, if there was any in his head to begin with. He wrapped his arms around her back and rolled over so he was on top, unable to tare his mouth away. She tasted like salt, like rum, like every temptation he'd ever come across before-

"Wait." She gasped, suddenly aware of what was happening. Her breathing was ragged, her eyes darting everywhere, anywhere other that upwards, suddenly fearful that if she looked into his eyes she would find herself falling again.

But he was already lost. Her intoxicating scent was driving him wild and he began kissing her neck.

"Jack stop it." She said forcefully, shoving him off. He crashed back onto the sand beside her, his head pumping, his eyes closed, his lips still open and his heart pounding wildly. He let out a low whistle, images and ideas and plays and songs fluttering in front of his eyes, he felt high, he felt alive. Like the sea.

He heard her scramble to her feet, flustered and fearful, and he opened his eyes to see her staring down at him in horror, her mouth forming words but none actually making it out.

He shut his eyes again.

"_Sorry_." He said with dramatic emphasis, because that's obviously what she wanted to hear. He sighed again, feeling sleepy, feeling drunk.

"No your not." She said, darkly.

"That's true, I'm not."

He opened his eyes a small fraction, but she didn't notice. She stumbled back slightly in her drunken state, but managed to regain some control and glared at him, either preparing an insult him, or worse, attack him with a rock.

But instead her face collapsed, tears escaping her eyes, and the next thing he knew she was running across the sand and out of his sight. Out of this dream like scene. Out of reach. Out of his life.

As the darkness claimed him he wondered if he'd remember this.

He'd probably have trouble forgetting it.


End file.
